The injury to Jesse Lumsden came early enough in the season that the Edmonton Eskimos should recover, although it appears the team was planning for this eventuality.

The Esks have seven other starting Canadian positions and weren't counting on the running back to be a ratio-breaker.

But the person affected most by Lumsden going out for at least 10 weeks with a dislocated shoulder is fellow Canuck Calvin McCarty.

The pair was supposed to offer a great one-two punch, and no other running back was dressed against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

Now that Lumsden is out, import runner Arkee Whitlock will make his debut Thursday against the Montreal Alouettes and likely be the starter.

McCarty will probably take a reduced role in the offence, even though it would appear Lumsden's injury would open a door for him. It might be the best thing for the Eskimos if Lumsden shuts it down for the year because once he comes off the nine-game injured list, there will be questions every week about his availability.

No matter which way you look at it, the loss is disappointing for CFL fans.

OPENING DRIVE

How important is this week's outing in B.C. for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats? Since the 2005 season, the Tabbies are a combined 6-30 in games before Labour Day, essentially killing their chances at a decent season with horrible starts. The Week 1 loss to the Toronto Argonauts is even more troubling considering two of Hamilton's three wins last year came against Toronto ... It was refreshing to see Argos WR Matt Lambros catch his first TD pass, then hand the ball to the official. Of course, this was the exact opposite of teammate Arland Bruce, who did a 'look-at-me' move of taking off his upper-body equipment and laying down in what was later revealed to be a tribute to Michael Jackson. The excessive celebration landed Bruce a fine, but it paid off. He got mentioned on ESPN's Around the Horn and PTI, which is probably what he wanted. Lambros did get the ball from his first TD later. Here's hoping he scores more and keeps up the humility ... It seems DE Cam Wake can't stay away from the CFL. The two-time defensive player of the year was at Lions practice yesterday to show support for the team he left to join the NFL's Miami Dolphins.

ENDZONE TOSS

The Bombers have taken a page out of the Stamps playbook by having a Canadian returning punts. Winnipeg native Markus Howell does the job for the defending champs, and the veteran seems to have paved the way for others. But Arjei Franklin will need to be better than the 21 yards on seven returns which he had against Edmonton.

EXTRA POINTS

Both sides deserve some blame from the WR Derick Armstrong saga in Winnipeg. Sure, the receiver shouldn't have pouted and sat out when told he wasn't starting, but the coaching staff probably should have told the 1,000-yard pass catcher more than a half-hour before game time the move might be made. Now, it appears Armstrong is untradeable, and the Bombers may be stuck with cutting him ... There seems to be a Lions linebacking reunion in Hamilton with Jamall Johnson joining Markeith Knowlton and Otis Floyd ... It appears former QB Marcus Crandell will be staying around the game as he will officially join the Riders coaching staff as an offensive assistant.